At the end of April police conducted searches in Hainaut, but also in Namur, Liège and Luxembourg. They managed to dismantle a large-scale criminal organization active in drug trafficking, counterfeit money, human trafficking, money laundering and customs fraud.
Links have been established with mafia organizations. The Albanians controlled the cannabis plantations, the Italian mafia supplied the counterfeit notes. At the head of this network is Francis Leclaire. The man is 71 years old, he has a very surprising course since he starts as a hairdresser, he specializes in wigs and then, first reconversion, he turns to the textile sector in the 70s.
First, he is a simple importer of Asian t-shirts and then makes his own textiles. And he knows a meteoric rise. He becomes CEO of several factories. At the end of the 90s, Francis Leclaire is considered a pioneer in the textile revival. He is a visionary who manages to build faster than in India or Asia.